Special Update: 25 Miles in Rocky Mountain National Park

The day started early with a 06:30 ride from Grand Lake onto the trail toward RMNP. We ran into Big Cheese and Food Boy who were also walking the trail. We were all packing loosely (carrying only the essentials for a day hike) the 25 mile loop in RMNP today.

The Red Line uses a loop in RMNP that has special camping restrictions. You must obtain a backcountry camping permit and carry a hard bear container if staying overnight in the park. Many CDT hikers organize this section by camping on the outskirts of the park and hiking the park’s trails for a day. Other CDT hikers leisurely hike the trail, stay one more night in a hotel, and then hitchhike back to town. We chose to pack our bags, hitchhike and spend another night in the city.

The trail begins at a low elevation (9000) and ascends through burned forest. This sounds ugly, but older burns can be quite beautiful, as you can see the mountains and underlying rock formations that trees usually hide. Additionally, brush and low vegetation are more prominent in burned areas. We saw many more wildflowers and raspberry bushes laden with green raspberries throughout the burned areas.

We ascended a narrow trail that follows a stream with beautiful short waterfalls and swimming holes along its length. The trail was a jumble of rocks mixed with soft dirt.

As we climbed, the burned forest gave way to intact pines and aspens. There were many ground squirrels and birds. We got within 5 feet of a mule doe that paid us no attention. The trail was lovely and the undergrowth was thick with not yet ripe blueberries. There were some annoying fallen trees to climb and get under the limbo. After all, it is a dense forest and it is never easy to navigate.

During a gentle and continuous ascent, we left the dense forest and climbed a traverse above the forest line. There were some curious marmots watching us and we saw moose in a field below. Pine trees and blueberries gave way to a dense carpet of wildflowers. Bright blue, magenta, yellow and pink, all designed as if planned by a master gardener. The Pika ran with bouquets of flowers in their mouths. They cover their dens with flowers all summer long.

After crossing some snow passes, we crossed to the top of the hike. It was a beautiful ridge, easy to follow and little wind compared to the previous days. There were views of barren mountains with plumes of snow in the crevices in the distance.

The descent was relatively easy and gradual. There were fewer fallen trees than on the climb. The stream was much more powerful and the waterfalls higher than on the other side. We had a snack and rested a little before the final descent.

We went down a meadow where we met a moose and her calf. They were aware of us and stationary. We looked at each other for a while before continuing walking.

The meadows gave way to more burned forests, this one older. The dead trees had their bark worn away by wind and time.

The flowers were different on this side. Lots of fire grass and strong-smelling wild roses.

After the second burned forest we reached the beginning of a trail. We waited five minutes, raising our thumbs. We were picked up by a car with university friends from India and their wives. We had a great chat about our travel experiences in India and I think they enjoyed hearing our perspectives. They dropped us off in the city and we all said our heartfelt goodbyes.

We arrived safely at our hotel at 5:30 pm and were able to shower, eat a great dinner, and do laundry before going to bed. Today has been a spectacular trail day.

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